Adam Scott hailed an incredible day as he claimed his maiden major title with a thrilling play-off win at the Masters.

After coming so close at the Open last July, Scott finally broke his major duck in superb style, as he birdied the 18th to seemingly scoop the Green Jacket only to watch Angel Cabrera do exactly the same moments later.

Scott held his nerve though to recover and win at the second extra hole to become the first Australian winner at Augusta.

"I don't know how that happens," Scott said. "It seems a long way away from last July when I was trying to win another major. It fell my way today, there was some luck there. It was incredible."

With Jason Day also in second and Marc Leishman tied for third, it was a great result for Australian golf and Scott was delighted to be flying the flag for his country, but said he owed much of his success to Greg Norman.

"Australia's a proud sporting nation and this was one notch on the belt that we'd never got," he added. "It's amazing that it's come down to me today, Marc and Jason Day, it could have been any of us.

"But there was one guy that inspired a nation of golfers and that's Greg Norman. He's been incredible to me and all the young golfers in Australia and part of this definitely belongs to him."

Scott showed rare emotion when he sank a 25-footer on the 18th when it looked like he had won the Masters, and he admitted that just for a second he thought he had won first time around.

"It was a split-second I thought I'd won, you should never count your chickens," said Scott of his wild celebrations on the 72nd green.

"But that was the putt, we've seen so many guys make it to win and I thought 'it's time for me to step up' and see how much I wanted it.

"To make a couple of putts to win the Masters tournament is just an amazing feeling."

Cabrera himself went close when his chip at the first play-off hole ran just past the cup and said: "That's how golf is. I came back and I had that chip on 18, I could have won it.

"But Adam's a good winner. I would have been happier if I had won but he's a great player, I get along with him, we've played together in the President's Cup and I'm happy for him."